Quack-grass exterminator.



H. C. PIGKBL. IQUACK GRASS EXTERMINATOE.

APPLIUATION FILED 11,111.13, 190s.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

H. G. PICKEL. QUAGK JGRASS EXTERMINATR. APPLICATION FILED 111111.13,190s.

Patented Mar. 16, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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HENRY C. PIGKEL, OF MANKATO, MINNESOTA.

QUACK-GRASS EXTERMINATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented March 16, 1909.

Application filed March 13, 1908. Serial No. 420,880.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY C. PICKEL, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mankato, in the county of Blue Earth and State of Minnesota,have invented a new and useful Quack-Grass Exterminator, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to agricultural im'- plements, and moreespecially to that class of implements known as quack grassexterminators.

The objects 'of this invention are to remove obnoxious weeds, such asquack grass, and the like, from the earth, tear them to pieces, anddeposit them upon the surface of the ground in order that they may bedried up and destroyed by the suns rays.

A further object of the invention is to provide a means whereby whensuch weeds are removed from the ground, the earth clinging to the rootsmay be separated from them, so that the action of the sun on the rootsmay be unobstructed.

A further object of the invention is to deposit the separated earth inadvance of the deposition of the weeds, thus placing them entirely uponthe surface.

The invention consists broadly of means for digging the weeds, followedby means for separating the earth therefrom, and this in turn followedby means for tearing to pieces and depositing them upon the earthpreviously separated.

the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view of my inventionFig. 2 is a longitudinal section thereof. Fig. 3 is a detail thereofshowing the conveyer driving chain.

Similar numerals of reference are employed to indicate correspondingparts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

The numeral l0 indicates the frame of the device at the forward endwhereof are mounted Wheels 11. Toward the rear end of this frame aremounted wheels 12, on an axle 13. Carried on this axle 13 is a conveyerframe, the ladder 14 having corrugated bars 15 arranged on the insidethereof. This ladder is pivotally mounted on the axle 13 by any suitablemeans, as the bearings 16. A gear 17 is mounted upon the shaft 13 andheld to rotate therewith. At the upper end of the ladder 14 is carried ashaft 18, and at the lower end thereof is a shaft 19. A gear 20 securedto the shaft 18 is arranged to meshwith the gear 17 previouslymentioned. A sprocket chain 21 carried on sprockets 22 serves to actuatethe axle 19. Sprockets 23 are mounted on the axle 18 to rotate therewithat the upper end of the conveyer frame and sprockets 24 are similarlymounted on the axle 19 at the i lower end thereof. vAn endless conveyerbelt 254 comprising sprocket chains 26 having spaced bars 27 extendingtherebetween, is held upon the last mentioned sprockets and adapted tobe actuated thereby. The bars 27 are provided throughout their lengthwith teeth 28 arranged at approximately right angles to said bars. Theendless belt 25 is held upon its sprocket wheels in such manner that theupper surface thereof will be loose, thus permitting the sprocket chains26 to pass over the corrugated bars 15 in a series of loops ordepressions, as lclearly shown in Fig. 2. At the lower end of theconveyer frame is secured a plow 29 and an independent colter 30 bracedto the frame 10 by a rod 30. This plow is preferably made in a V-shape,with a raised center, as shown at 31, with shearing edges 32 on eachside of said center. A sprocket gear 33 is, also, mounted on shaft 13and arranged to rotate therewith. `A disintegrator drum' 34 providedwith teeth 35 is carried on a shaft 36 at the rear portion of the frame10. Upon the shaft 36 is keyed a sprocket 37 and a chain 38 connects thesprocket 37 with the driving sprocket 33, thus serving to actuate thedrum 34. Upon the frame is mounted a rock shaft 39 and a latch lever 40is carried upon said rock shaft to actuate the same. A quadrant 41 isheld upon said frame in the path of the latch lever to retain the samein any desired position. Links 42 are attached to the arms of the rockshaft 39 at their upper ends, and to the lower end of the conveyer frame14 at their lower ends. It will be readily seen that by the movement ofthe latch lever 40, the lower end of the frame 14 may be raised ordepressed, as desired,

'thus regulating the depth at which the plow 29 operates to meet thevarious requirements that may be found necessary.

A seat 50 is provided above the frame 10 for the operator, and a tongue51 affords means for attaching draft animals to the digger. A

Tn the operation of my device, the plow 29 having been set to thedesired depth, the machine is pulled forward and the weeds thus pulledup are carried up the base of the plow and deposited on the conveyer 25,being there caught and held by the teeth 28. As the machine movesforward, the conveyer belt is drawn u over the corrugated bars 15 andthe mass of weeds and dirt held thereon is shaken about, freeing theweeds from the dirt and permitting the latter to drop through the spacesbetween the bars and to the ground, so that when the Weeds reach theupper end of the conveyer they are plractical y free from adheringearth. T e arrangement of the speeds of the conveyer and the picker drumis such that the drum revolves at a relatively higher rate of speed thanthe conveyer belt moves. The effect of this is that when the weeds androots are brought up to the upper end of the conveyer, the rapidlymoving teeth of the disintegrator drum pick them into minute ortions,and they are then drop ed upon tie surface of the earth, so that tffefull effect of the suns rays may be had thereon, thus serving to dry upthe roots. It will be observed that by the arrangement of the conveyerbelt driving mechanism, the belt is fed forward over the sprocket 24 asfast as it is drawn forward by the upper sprocket, thus maintaining theu pper surface of the belt in a slack condition, so that at no time willit be drawn in a straight line between the upper sides of suchsprockets, but will constantly follow the outline of the corrugated bars15.

It is obvious that many changes might be made in the device, as, forinstance, it may be found advisable to replace the teeth 85 which arehere shown as of straight type, with knives or the like. I do not,therefore,

here shown and described, but wish to cover all such as properlycomewithin the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:- v

In a machine of the class described, an inclined conveyer framecomprising a pair of parallel side bars, agitating bars secured theretoand provided with widelyspaced upwardly extending rounded teeth, a pairof shafts liournaled in the bars and extending at one side beyond theouter edge of the frame, a pair of sprocket wheels carried by each shaftat points in alinement with the agitating bars, link belts extendingover said sprocket wheels and arranged to ride over tie agitating teethin undulatory lines, the upper runs of the chains being of greaterlength than the lower runs thereof, conveyer bars extending between saidlink belts and of a width less than the distance between adjacent teethof the agitating bars to thereby permit free flexing of the entireconveyer, driving sprockets arranged on the projecting ends of the twoshafts, and a link belt connecting the driving sprockets and serving toimpart positive driving movement to both ends of the conveyer to therebymaintain the proper relative lengths of the upper and lower runs of saidconveyer.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

HENRY C. PICKEL. l/Vitnesses:

W. B. DAvIEs, ED WEAVER.

